During our tasting trip to Austria last month for JamesSuckling.com, Senior Editor Stuart Pigott and I shared several excellent wines during our many dinners. A number of gruner veltliners stood out, of course, but there were also some fantastic rieslings – a grape variety capable of achieving astounding complexity and concentration with a few years of bottle age.
Eight of these rieslings are great to buy now, and all are available for under $100. They are typically released one to two years after harvest and will cellar well under either cork or screwcap.
Half of these are from the beautifully balanced 2021 vintage, a golden year for Austrian winemakers in terms of both quantity and quality because of excellent, moderate weather conditions throughout the growing season, unlike other regions in Europe, which suffered challenges including early frosts, too much rainfall or excessive heat. Two of the 2021 Austrian rieslings are from the picturesque Wachau valley, which has its own three-tier classification based on ripeness, with the highest level being smaragd. The Rudi Pichler Riesling Wachau Ried Kirchweg Smaragd 2021 and Alzinger Riesling Wachau Ried Steinertal Smaragd 2021 are concentrated and deep, with the delicate and pristine freshness of the Kirchweg and the finely chiseled, cool minerality of the Steinertal making them supremely drinkable.
